Method of disposing of refinery wastes



Oct. 10, 1933. M. L. CHAPPELL ET AL 1,929,675

METHOD OF DISPOSING OF REFINERY WASTES Filed July 2, 1932 SECT/O/V 0/1 144 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 10, 1933 1. Application 3013 2,; 19 321." Serial I 7 Glaims. "(ci- 23-171)" {This invention relates to animproyed method for handling and disposing of objectionable wastes whicharesult from the refining ofpetroleum oils or other organic products-in which various acid ,5 sludges, sulphur; bearing :tarr y residues, various gases andivapors are encountered, which must be handled-and disposed of in such a manner that the char acter of thesurrounding atmosphere not ;be;pollute d or adversely affected by contamio nation with poisonousirritants, malodorous gases or refineryaerosols.

The conventional-methodfor theultimate dis posal-of all acid sludges or odorous compounds occurring i the refinery ishigh-temperaturel oxi- 1 elation, in which the combustible products are burned to carbon dioxide; fwateryapor, sulphur dioxide, and sulphuric acid mist, and are then discharged from high stacks into theiatmos phere.

. I However, much trouble is experienced by'these' knownmethods after the Combustion. operation due tothe formationgpfsulphur trioaide; which uniteswith some of the water present inthe products of; combustiom form ng whatis: knownlas sulphuric acid mist, a heavy white irritant gas mental to vegetation, -lil I t J 1-. 1. .j =:'The formation of sulp uric acid mist usually takes place after the -combustion "operationgand animalfand human habitadioxiderbearing gases, which. may contain; from approximately 5. to 17 per, cent 'by volume e xcess 'foxygen; with the heated brick work "forming the stack; at temperatureslbetween 900 and 1650 degrees F.v I

of acid sludge and other. refinery wastes is effected of :air at temperatures with; an. "excess quantity i above =I6'5GJdegTees F., and the combustion prod-"f ucts quicklycooledfby means 'of water'sprays or 'to approximate1yw900 other fluid lcoolingfagent's 7 :degrees F. or lower as 'they enteri the, s'tack,.jthe formation of sulphuric acid mist; is substantially jprevented. Y

" -150 ai -an object or theinyention rsia-ai pts'etrzie;

"METHODOF DrsPosmG on REFINERYR it: 7 i WASTES v a l Marvin L. Ohappell, Watsomand ErichQ FQ Baker, w Long'Beaoh, Qalif. l

W 'f v l amounts of sulphuric acid mist. Other objects and advantages 0 ,iso as to divert. which rapidly settlesto the ground and is: detriis principally due-to contact oi the-heated sulphur controlled by valye 11, connects I The formation of 'sulphurticiacid mist wvillanotf takejplace to any 'appreciable'extent below 900 Pipes 1 3 arejconnected to "UNITEDSTATEVS finery waste prodlict y combustionlwitll 'exfi ess quantities of air at high temperatures without any substantial 'formation of sulphuric acid mistfand then: discharge 4 the products of combustion through high stacks intoth'e' atmosphere. j" Another object of theinyentionis to disposeof acid sludge by combustion with'airathighftem peraturesv withoutjthe formation of appreciable f the presentinvention "will be apparent from the preferred embodiment; which will now be mor'e'fully e 'xplainedby reference to theaccornpanying drawing, which is -a' diagrammaticalrepresentationiof apparatus embodying-theinvention. Inthe drawingg lFigure IL is a; tio of; apparatus adap'tedffor the practi'ccoi the process of the invention. .1 I i I 7 Figure" II is a sectional plan view' taken on line- A'ur-A of Figure ithe. igures I n "-jIn-the drawingffi represents abrick furnace, witha burner 4 i i 1 I V the products of combustion in the top zof the (furnace; and

iturbulentfiowf to. I v M through the opening between cause them to pass the top of bridge wall '7 and the roof I of 'furnacjeo.

a "aPi-pe 1,-: controlled byvalye 2, connects burner i to ,a suPPIY- o fi e y waste p d ct o .shown. Pipe ;.12, controlled by valye3 coniiects burner 4 to a steamsupplynot'shown me .10,

supply of hydr ocarbo n gas; or

sectionalfeleyaii similar numbers represent similar parts v -i and a bridge wall '7, constructed b n. r fftd ia stack conneotedjto and a gas or oilfinlet passagelfi 1 9 represents afiue or name 6, through which the combustion products.

pass and are discharged int o th atmospherel -are..;water s ray; p pes connected vtolupipes f-lg.

o r e f-w ie P9? :2

lply not shown m i -v {rhepreferred process asrca Furnac 6 s'fi t h i a mh iiin eXcessoflfiSO degreeslisbythe introduction and 5- :oilor gas with-fair,

combustion of a hydrocarbon The hydrocarbon oil or gas" isintroduced; into c 4 paratus just described is as iollows z I @iiurnace; fiuthrought passagewayglkof burner 4 -,from;rpip 1 ntro e h fvalre i 2 7 burner 4, and the flow is controlled by shutters or other mechanical means known in the art.

When furnace 6 has been heated to a temperature of approximately 2000 degrees F., the flow of hydrocarbon oil or gas passing through passageway 14 into furnace 6 is reduced or discontinued by closing or partially closing valve 11 in pipe 10. Then objectionable wastes, such as acid sludges, sulphur bearing tarry residues, malodorous gases and refinery aerosols, either alone or mixed with hydrocarbon oil, are caused to pass from their source of production'or from storage through pipel and into burner 4, the flow being controlledby operation of valve 2. At the same time a regulated flow of steam from pipe 12; controlled by valve 3, is introduced into burner 4, which sprays the waste products into furnace 6 in a finely divided condition, wherein they are commingled with'aircoming through air inlet'passages 5 in quantitiessuflicient to completely consume or burn the spray of waste products with the formation ofcarbon dioxide,

water vapor and sulphur dioxide gases.

Furnace 6, as. heretofore stated, is maintained at a temperature in excess of ,1650 degrees F. by regulating the now" of gasor'oil passing into furnace 6 through passageway 14, in order to prevent the formation of' sulphur trioxide or sulphuric acid mist, and also to decompose any sulphuric acid which may be -present in the waste products into sulphur dioxide and Water. The quantity of air introduced into furnace'fi through air inlet passages 5 is regulated so as to maintain an excess volumeof oxygen in the combustiongases. Preferably, the combustion gases passing from furnace 6 into stack 9 shouldcontain not less than 5 per cent by volume excess oxygen in order to prevent the formation of black smoke. The quantity of excess air introduced depends upon the waste products being burned. j For refinery waste products containing a high percentage of" incombustible materials, suchas acid sludge, the percentage of air introduced into .i'urnace 6 is such that the excess oxygen content in the products of combustion will be approximately 5 to 10 per cent by'yolume, and;

may range'from 10 to; approximately 17 percent by volume in case the waste products contain a highpercentage of combustible material, such as tarry residues *or sludges containing small fpercentages of sulphuric acid or combined sul- In general, the quantity of air and quantity of hydrocarbon oil or gas introduced into furnace fi valongvvith the waste products is governed bytheftemperature of the products of '"combustion passingbetween bridge wall 7 and ithe top of furnace GQsLuchftemperature being preferably'maintained between 2000 and 2500 degrees and mustnecessarily be in excess of tion, :at a temperature of approximately-2000 to 2,500 degrees F., passfrom furnace 6 into the bottomsection of flue or stack 9','and are therein immediately cooled to a temperature of 900 degreesF. or lower by water --sprays from spray pipes 8, whereby the formation of sulphuric acid imist' substantially prevented and the cooled products of combustion pass up through flue or stack 9 and are discharged into the atmosphere fat any desired height.

While the particular form of apparatus and [manta of disposingpf objectionable-Waste re-' fineryproducts -is well adaptedfor carrying out the objects of the present invention, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of'the invention, and the invention includes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim 1. In the method of disposing of waste prod ucts, containing sulphur compounds, by complete combustion ina heated zone withexcess quantitles of air, the improvement which comprises,

maintaining the heated zone at temperatures above the decompositiontemperature of sulphur trioxide,,quickly cooling the heated products of ucts, containing sulphur compounds, by complete combustion in'a heated zone with excess quantities of'air, the improvement which comprises,

maintaining the heated zone at temperatures in excess of 1650 degrees F., quickly cooling the heated products of combustion to 900 degrees F. crless by injecting sprays of water into the combustion products as they pass'fromithe heated zone into a conduit, and discharging the cooled atmosphere. 7 V I 3. In the method of disposing QfrefineryWaste products, containing sulphur compounds, by oxidation and --coinbustiori in heated zones with? excess quantities of air, the improvement which comprises, maintaining the heated zone at temperatures in excess of 1650 degrees F, quickly coolingth heated products of oxidation and combustion'to 900'degr'ees F. or less by injecting sprays of water into'the oxidation andic'ombustion products as they pass from the heated zone 1 into a conduit, and then-discharging the cooled products and vaporized water from'the conduit into the atmosphere at an elevated height,

, 4.. The method of disposing-of acid sludge con- 7 taining'sulphuric acid, comprisin spraying the acid'sludge into alieated-zone with steam, introducingair into the heated zone in excess amounts sufficient to convert the acid sludge by complete oxidation into carbon dioxide, water vapor and sulphur dioxide, maintaining the heated zone at temperatures above 1 650 degreesFl by a regulated introduction and combustion of ahydrocarbon with'air, quickly coolingthe heated products of oxidation, Combustion 1 and decomposition to 900 degrees F. or'less'by injecting sprays ofwaterinto the heated products as they pass'from the heated zoneinto a conduit, then discharging the. cooled products and vaporized water from the conduit into the atmosphere ,at an elevated height.

5. In the method of disposing of waste products; containing sulphur compounds, byisubstantially complete; combustion in a heated zone withexcess' quantities of air, theimprovement which comprises, maintaining the heated zone attemperatures abovethe decomposing temperature of sulphurtrioxide, quicklycooling the heated prod-'- uctsof combustion below a sulphur; trioxide forming temperature with a cooling agent as they pass from theheatedzone intoa-fiuidconduit, products, 7

'mixed with thecooling agent, from the conduit and discharging the cooled combustion into theatmosphere. V u 6. In the method of-"-:disposing of waste prod! 105 combustion products from the conduitinto the 1 which-comprises, maintaining the heated zone at ucts, containing sulphur compounds, by combustion in a heated zone with air, the improvement tion in a heated-zone with temperatures above the decomposing temperature a of sulphur trioxide, and quickly' cooling the heated'products of combustion below a sulphur trioxide forming temperatureby introduction of water into the combustion products as they pass from the heated zone into a conduit. MARVIN L..CHAPPELL.'

' ERICK F. BAKER.

temperatures above the decomposing temperature or sulphur .trioxide, 'quickly cooling the heated'productsof combustion below a sulphur trioxide forming temperature by a fluid cooling agent as they pass from the heated zone into" a conduit,' and discharging the cooled combustion products from the conduit into the atmosphere. 7

7.1111 the method of disposing ofwaste prod- V u cts, containing sulphur compounds, by combus-,

air, the improvement which comprises, maintaining the heated zone at 

